Alley and Deru
by rubiesinblood
Summary: Alley and Deru meet..the start of a beautiful relationship.


Alley took a deep breath. The ocean air was so clean and fresh, and a day of sailing on it could wipe out months of stress, much less a weeklong cruise. She stretched her arms out and sighed happily. Her mother had signed her up for this cruise, and at first, Alley had argued vehemently. But...it was futile, as were all arguments had with Akira, who was a member of the Mazuko Clan. Cursed at birth, Alley resided in the body and soul of an Atlantean (the descendants of the Atlanteans became the Dragon People.), so she is able to sprout wings and fly. She was still Akira's blood daughter, though. Alley shook her head to clear it, and then headed down below deck. She hadn't seen anyone since she'd boarded a couple of days ago, and even if she had boarded late. Still, seeing no one except the crew and her mother in two days on a boat was unusual...she wondered where everyone was. She sank onto the cot in her room and stared at the ceiling. She took out her dagger and absent-mindedly played with it. She made little thrusts into the air, and parried invisible blows. After slipping the dagger back in it's hidden fold, she immediately changed her mind and stripped off her boots, pants, shirt, undershirt, and underwear. Then, wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel, she walked into the washroom. Suddenly, the boat tossed her across the bathroom, and she smacked her hip against the washbasin. "Shit," she growled as blood welled up from a cut on her hip. She frowned down at the white ceramic bowl, and stumbled back out into her room. Pulling on her black shirt and pants, she slipped her shoes on and grabbed her bindings before running out on deck. Everyone was already in the water, and before she knew what was happening, she was picked up and thrown over the railing. Looking up, she could see the crew still on the deck. A rumbling sound from under the water alerted her to danger, but before she could swim away, the boat exploded. Rubble shot through the air, and a large piece of wood from the stern struck Alley in the head. Fighting against the overwhelming tide of darkness, Alley slips into unconsciousness.  
~*~  
  
Alley slowly opened her eyes. The sun was so damn bright! She was resting in the roots of a tree on the edge of the water.... And then she remembered. The cruise that she'd gone on to chill out had wrecked. She'd hit her head and gotten knocked out.... But who had rescued her? How'd she gotten n a tree? "Maybe I'm dreaming," she said to herself. But no, the sand, the water... Where was her cozy room? The home? Her comfy fur bed? Her... Her daggers were gone!!! Alley buried her head in her hands and sobbed. She'd never cried in her life, but now her daggers were gone, and she was too weak from heat exhaustion to dodge any enemies. She unfurled her wings and sighed deeply. She decided it was best just to get off the island before any trouble showed up. She jumped off the branch. She soared up, up, up...and then felt herself plummeting head first to the ground. She just managed to turn a little in the air when she hit the ground. With a thud and a sickening crunch, her wing bone popped right out of her skin. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she steeled herself to rise up and climb the tree, her broken wing dragging behind her...  
  
~*~  
  
Alley slowly opened her eyes to find at least five different faces staring down at her. They were all saying something, but she was too groggy to make out the words. "Where am I?" she said, sitting up slowly because of her broken wing. But wait...it was now bound up, and some salve had been smeared on it... Alley looked up at the faces around her and started to cry again. "W-w-who are you g-g-guys, a-and w-w-why are y-y-you g-g-g-g-guys so n-nice?" she sobbed, pawing at her eyes with a dirty hand. Akira looked around. "Well, this is Moon, this is Kimito, this is Kei, and this is Derufin, " she explained. Derufin poked Moon. "She's not nice," he says with a smile as Moon attacks. "Eep!! Must not be..." He started, directly before falling asleep. Kimito stopped walking to wait for Kei. As she did she looked back and waved at Alley while she smiled at her "You don't owe me a thing, friend. And as for being nice...well...thank you." Alley nodded her thanks, and turned back to the others. "Oh man. I'm STARVED!" Alley said. Then she snapped her mouth shut. "Sorry, guys, I'll try not to complain too much," she said with a wry smile. Suddenly there was a rustling in the brush, and Alley lowered herself into attack mode. Then as he stepped out, Alley gasped and took a step back. "Hiten, how did you get here?" she shrieked, scuttling away. "Hiten, oh no.you can't be here! This is a nightmare!" shrieks Alley. "I've come for what you did to me, Alirishima," said this Hiten character. Alley took a step back and threw her arm up in front of her face. "I don't want to see you anymore!" she cried. Hiten stepped towards her. "Why, Alley? Why did you leave me?" Deru watched Alley and Hiten, and decided it was none of his business. Alley screams as she pushes away Hiten's outstretched arms and runs in the opposite direction. Hiten is fast though, and streaks after her. Alley barely has time to gather herself for a spring as Hiten whips out his thunder staff. She dodges just in time, but her back leg is badly scorched... Kei and Kimito where at the Hot Springs, when they both heard a scream "What was that?" Kei asked and started to get out of the water. "I don't know let's go check it out" Kimito replied back to her and also started to get out. 2 minutes latter they were both running to where the scream was heard. " Moon, your wings!!!" Alley cried as she unfurled her own. But the broken bone had not healed; in fact, it hadn't even begun to mend! But Alley stood there with her wings opened and head bowed, and hands cupped. She suddenly lifted her face to her attacker and spewed forth a fiery flux. Crying out, "I banish your spirit to the lowest levels of purgatory!" she threw powder over the flaming figure. When the flame died down, there was nothing left except a small ruby necklace. Alley fell to her knees and whispered, "Use your wings, Moon," one more time before sinking into unconsciousness. Derufin ran up to Alley. "Uh oh...she's unconscious...Someone who knows any good magic want to give me a hand here?" He set Alley's head in his lap. Soon Kimito and Kei ran as fast as they could. Kimito's hair, clothes and body were soaked but that didn't matter to her. All that mattered was getting the where that scream came from and fast. When they finally got there Kimito gasped as she saw Alley on the ground knocked out "What the heck happened here? Deru, who did this?" Moon spread her wings, "Yeah, what about them? Flying away from this dreaded place doesn't work. Trust me, I've tried." "It was some guy she called Hiten. I didn't really see what happened, I wasn't paying enough attention. Do you think you can heal her? If not, go get Lady Akira, Please!" said Deru responding to Kimoto. Alley's eyes fluttered and she groaned softly. She looked straight up into the eyes of Deru, who was cradling her head in his lap. "Oh, Deru..." she whispered and touched his cheek. "Tell Moon that in order to fly off the island, she has to soak her wings in pineapple and apricot juice." and the she fainted again, her heartbeat slowing down to a startling rate. "No, no, don't die Alley. I'll go get help." Kimito started running "AKIRA-SAMA, AKIRA-SAMA." she screamed. She then chanted something and turned into her fox form, remembering that doing so would heighten her senses and she figured that that way she could find Akira better. "Moon," said Deru hoarsely. "She-she wanted me to tell you, if you want to fly off the island, soak your wings in pineapple and apricot juice..." "Deru...I- I'm going to die here. Please- will you kiss me? I've never been kissed before... except by Hiten. And it was forced. Please Deru!" "First off I'm a mage so I will heal her." Moon walked over to Alley and started a chant. When it was done moon said, "She will be out for a few minutes. Second, ARE YOU CRAZY OR IS THE WHOLE WORLD PLOTTING AGAINST ME? I'll do it, but only because once I'm on the main land, I can get help." Moon reached for a bottle of mixed pineapple and apricot juice that popped up when needed. "Well, here goes nothing." Moon put her wings in the juice, screamed, and passed out.  
  
~*~  
  
Moon woke up a half hour later and took her wings out and flew up, "If this works, then I'll debate myself on rather or not I kill dragon. Tell Lady AKIRA that I'll be back with a boat as soon as I can." "Good, Moon healed you" Deru said, shaking. "I-I mean, you're good now, r-right?" He asked Alley, who was just coming around. "Don't give in to her," Moon yelled back, "She is ok despite what she says!" Alley was a little delirious, and her head was whirling. "The wound is fatal... no one survives Hiten's thunder and lightning attacks... I feel a little better, though, thanks to Moon. I hope she makes it okay..." Her head slumps down onto her chest, and she sways. "I have failed my father..." and she collapses again. "Don't be so dramatic, the chant I said was a 10,000 year old one that works on anything from paper cuts to people who have been dead for up to 10 days. If it can heal a dead person, I think it can heal you..." Moon yelled back as she flew off. Deru's ear twitches. "What was that?" he asked. "Dragon blood..." replies Alley faintly. The chant was finally taking effect. She sat up and sniffed the air. "Over there!" she pointed at a clump of bushes. Deru stabbed himself in the eye because he was bored. "Owie!" he cried, jumping up and down. While Deru's attention is focused elsewhere, Alley slips off into the shadows... Deru returned to his normal conscious state. "Alley!" He exclaims... "Where'd she go...?" Kimito comes back without Akira. "I didn't find Akira-sama but...DERU!!! WHERE DID ALLEY GO?" Kimito sank to the ground and started crying. "I.... It's too late...I couldn't save her. Now she's gone and it's my entire fault. I couldn't save her. Just like I can't save my mother. It's my entire fault. Everything's all my fault." Kimito cried and cried...and cried some more. "Don't worry Kimito! She just bounded off as I stabbed my eye out. All better now" Ears twitch. "Is that you Alley?" he asks the shadow in the tree. Akira yawned as she walked into the clearing where everyone else was located, unknowingly scratching her butt as she yawned again... it was rare that she slept and when she did... she was like a log. "Morning'..." she then mumbled... shaky hands reaching out as she summoned herself a cup of coffee...  
  
~*~  
  
Alley staggered thru the bushes. She couldn't ever go back. How would Moon treat her? How would DERU treat her? She had asked him to kiss her!!! Alley shook her head and staggered on. She'd heard the boat come, but she didn't want to face them. She was terribly frightened. Deru jumped out of the boat. 'Where'd Alley go?' he thought to himself. He decided to go and look for her. Alley sat down on the ground near the mouth of a cave. She was tired, but she wanted to get away from the group as much as possible. She still couldn't believe she'd asked Deru to kiss her! She shook her head. Then she heard a noise behind her and felt a hand slip around her waist. Deru was now quite far away from the group, but hadn't found any sign of Alley. "Wonder where she is...I wonder where I am..." Deru said out loud, not that anyone could hear him. He WAS after all completely lost. Soon Kimito was under water. Surprisingly sharks didn't eat her. She soon floated up above water on her back still laughing. "Hahahahahahahahha...The boat sank...and now we're stuck on the island again, that's so strange...ha ha ha ha ha ha...ahhhh, yeah." Kimito floated onto the island and sat up looking around and laughing. "Hey *giggle* where'd Alley and Deru go...*giggle* I.... I...I would *giggle* go look for them but my belly still hurts for laughing so much." she fell back on the sand and looked at Akira floating in the air. "Ha ha ha ha ha, Akira-sama is in the air, that's so funny. Ha ha ha ha ha...yeah..." Akira landed on her feet and slowly approached Kimito, "Kimi-chan. are you alright? You seem to be delirious... or perhaps a fever? I'm not good with illness'... since I myself hardly ever catch a cold," she then said and paused, her face turning serious, something... didn't feel right. "I'll be back," Akira then said before disappearing from view.  
  
~*~  
  
Akira appeared soon at the mouth of a cave, being cautious as she was, the monk entered. Deru kept looking, but was doing a horrible job. He turned into his fox-form, and began to sniff around. He soon came to the mouth of the cave... "Ah, hello Derufin, you sense that as well?" Akira said at seeing a fox begin to pass her, she walked at a steady pace to keep up with him as the two traveled down the long and narrow tunnel of the cave. The fox looked up at Akira, and nodded slightly, but kept going. Whatever was in this tunnel, he and Akira could take care of it. "What say you... we speed the pace up a bit?" Akira grinned, and then took off to a steady sprint, so fast to the point she was no longer running, rather then flying, dodging stalagmites and what not. Fox-Derufin picked up the pace too. It got to the point where he began to jump off the stalagmites, and got to a point where he could keep up with Akira-sama. 'How far does this stupid cave go?' He wondered keeping up with Akira. 'I never should've let Alley out of my sight!' Alley was being dragged. She couldn't remember anything except...he hit her. He slapped her across the face, and she'd fainted. No man had ever hit her before. She cried silently as her captor dragged her along by her broken wing. She missed Akira, Kimito, Kei, moon, sky...especially Deru. And she'd run away from them. She was such a fool... Growing extremely impatient with the caves twists, turns and drops, Akira ground her teeth. She didn't have to run, what was the point when she could simply...  
  
She rematerlized near Alley and her stranger capture, the monk had lost Deru, but she was sure he would eventually catch up. Alley saw Akira materialize straight out of thin air. She tried to cry out to her, but her captor dragged her over a really sharp rock and her back tore open. The monk, being one who seldom gives warnings, lifted her hand and cast a spell of paralisis, stopping the attacker in his tracks. With a quick and graceful motion, she took hold of Alley, holding her protectively, "Don't worry Dear Alley, Akira's got you, you'll be good as new.." she assured her daughter. Deru blinked Akira was gone, and he had no idea how much farther the cave went. He put on a burst of speed, then the cave opened up into 2 passageways. He immediately ran to the one on the right, and after a few more seconds he had finally caught up. "Deru!" Akira called, "Alley's badly hurt, I'm going to teleport her to my quarters on Wolf Pack Island and tend to her wounds. I've paralyzed her capturer, you can do as you wish with him," she told the fox, then stood with Alley tightly in her grasp. Alley struggled to force her body to cooperate with her mind's commands. Shaking and sweating with the exertion of force, she stood on her own and held out a small collapsible dagger she's had hidden away. "I would use the move I used on Hiten, but I'm not strong enough. But use this, so he will know it is me." "Alley... you sure you can stand on your own? Your badly hurt," Akira said, holding out her hands just in case the Dragon winged Aristical was to fall, she'd be able to catch her. The fox transformed into a panting Derufin. "A collapsible dagger? Whatever do you mean?" Alley showed them how the blade collapsed into the hilt. "Go now!! KILL HIM AND BLEED HIM DRY!" she cried before collapsing into Akira's arms. "Alright," Deru whispered hoarsely "She wants me to use a collapsible dagger, I will. For her." "You can do it Deru... I'll be off now, Alley needs her wounds treated quickly and they are a bit more advanced then what my magic can do, I'm sure the priest can tend to them," the monk said, bowing, "you have my luck," she then told Deru before teleporting herself and Dragon off of the island. As Alley was whisked away in Akira's arms, she thought, 'I must see Deru again...' and lost consciousness. She wasn't about to wake up any time soon.... 


End file.
